The National Cashew Association of Nigeria (NCAN) says 13 by-products present in the “cashew apple” and 19 essential by-products present in the cashew nut as a whole fruit are rarely utilized.
NCAN National Chairman, Ojo Ajanaku, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Abuja.
Mr Ajanaku said by-products could be processed along the value chain.
He said there was a need to preserve the cashew apple for processing and utilization purposes.
“There are many things that can come out of cashew nuts; for example, cashew nuts can be used to make cashew wine, cashew brandy, cashew oil, cashew butter, and animal feed, among others.
“There are also many things that can come out of the cashew apple; 13 by-products can come out; they are not even from the nut because from the nut we have the cashew liquid or the cashew nut cutting liquid that is used for pharmaceuticals; it is like a biochemical.
“We have many by-products and in total we have around 19 that we can obtain from cashew nuts; some of which we have not started to take advantage of due to conservation limitations.
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“We are making plans for proper storage of cashew apple so that we can start exploring the natural resources and expand the foreign exchange scope of the industry.”
He said cashews should be taken for storage and processing as soon as they are harvested as this would make the product fresh and ready for use.
According to him, this storage facility will help group both nuts and apples, turning the center into a buffer for processors.
He said many stakeholders did not have the financial capacity to process it throughout the year as cashew was a seasonal product.
“Since cashews are primarily destined for export, we are doing this to cushion the effect of interest on our processors, both those who will process the apple and those who will process the raw nut.
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“We are thinking of making Nigeria another centre for cashew production.
“We are waiting for the next season, by then we will be able to know exactly the exchange rate value of cashew,” he said.
(YAYA)